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Number of Porcelain Veneers in a Smile Makeover

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I want to improve my smile with a smile makeover. Can you tell me how many porcelain veneers I’d need to get to make all my teeth look whiter?

Stacey

Dear Stacey,

a porcelain veneer being placed on a tooth

 

First, I want to clarify something. If the only thing you want to change about your smile is the color, you can do that a lot more affordably by just doing teeth whitening. A smile makeover is when you want to change more. In addition to the color, you may want to change their shape, size, or character. From here forward, I am going to go on the assumption that you want a true smile makeover.

The number of porcelain veneers you would get for a smile makeover will depend on the color difference and the size of your smile. If you are only needing a subtle change to the color, then you can get away with six porcelain veneers. However, if you are looking for a more substantial change in color, then you would need between eight and twelve porcelain veneers. How many will depend on the width of your smile. Stand in front of a mirror and smile the way you do when you’re really happy. How many teeth can you see? That is how many veneers you should get.

The most important thing you can do for your smile makeover, however, is to find the right dentist. Smile makeovers are not taught in dental school. In order to become skilled, dentists have to invest in a significant amount of post-doctoral training. To give you a shortcut to finding those types of dentists I would simply do an internet search for an AACD accredited dentist. These are the most skilled and artistic dentists in the world. Any one of them can give you a stunning smile.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.

Dental Bonding Disaster

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A couple of years ago, I had dental bonding done for a chipped tooth with a dentist from another city. This year, I relocated. A few months into the move, the bonding started to have some discoloration. So, I asked my new dentist to fix it. She said she’d need to bond both teeth for it to look right. I thought that was odd because my last dentist did not have to do that, but decided to give her a chance. I wish I hadn’t. The color doesn’t match my teeth at all, there is now a gap between my teeth that wasn’t there before, and now one tooth is longer than the other! I asked her about the gap and she said that is a common issue with bonding. Then I asked her to file down the long tooth, so it could be the same size as its partner. Finally, when I asked about the color, she said natural teeth aren’t all the same color. Her suggestion is that I wait a week and see if I change my mind about its appearance. Then we are supposed to meet again and determine if there is anything I still want her to change. Should I wait and give her a chance to fix this or just ask for a refund. She is nice, but honestly, my smile is worse than it was before.

Cadance

Dear Cadance,

before and after dental bonding

I think you need to ask for the refund and then find another dentist to do the work. Here’s the problem you are facing with this dentist. Cosmetic dentistry is not taught in dental school. She may have learned how to repair teeth, but learning to make them look beautiful and natural is a skill set they have to invest in during a post-doctoral course of study.

Dental bonding in particular is one of the most challenging of the procedures because it has to be done free hand. Additionally, they have to understand all the materials, such as colors, textures, and translucencies, and which ones go together in order to sculpt a true replica of the tooth. I don’t think this skillset is going to magically appear in a week.  In fact, I would not even wait the week. Call the office, tell them you want the refund and start your search for the dentist who can do this right.

Which Dentist Can Do Dental Bonding Well?

My first suggestion is that you look for a dentist who has reached accreditation level with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. AACD accredited dentists are the top cosmetic dentists in the country. They have the technical knowledge, skill, and artistry to create a beautiful result for you.  It is sometimes hard to find one, depending on where you live, but it will be worth it even if you have to travel to a nearby city or state.

If that proves impossible for you, your second option is to look on the mynewsmile.com website. They recommend excellent cosmetic dentists by zip code and the distance you are willing to travel.  The site is run by an AACD accredited dentist and he personally screens each dentist he recommends. A dentist cannot just pay to be listed on his site. Many are on their way to accreditation, which is a process that takes years.

One other thing I will mention. You may not even need this, but if you’ve been considering teeth whitening, I suggest you do it before having the bonding placed. The color of the bonding will mot respond to whitening agents, only your natural tooth structure will. If you try to do that after, you’ll end up with two different colored teeth.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.

 

 

Dental Bonding Versus Porcelain Veneers

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My daughter has two lateral incisor peg teeth that we are ready to repair. Our dentist wants to do four porcelain veneers on her teeth to have them match. It was quite pricier than we expected, so he suggested he could do dental bonding for 1/5 of the price. This sounds like a great solution but I heard they don’t last as long. Should we do the cheaper one and just plan on re-doing it more often?

Millie

Dear Millie,

before and after dental bonding to repair a chipped tooth

I have some concerns here. First, the fact that he has to do four teeth instead of the two peg teeth tells me he is not comfortable with his skill level. He does not feel like he can match the lateral incisors to the front teeth so he wants to do all four which will make it easier for him. However, that doubles your cost and is totally unnecessary. A second thing that worries me is the cost he quoted you.

In reality dental bonding is best used for small repairs such as the one above for a chipped tooth. If a dentist tries to do it over the entire surface area of the tooth it would actually be more work than doing veneers. This is because composite bonding has to be done free hand. It would actually cost close to the same amount or possibly even more than the porcelain veneers.

My suggestion is that you want to get her teeth done you do it right. I would go to an expert cosmetic dentist and let him or her do just two porcelain veneers. Look for someone who are accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. The accreditation process requires true technical expertise and artistry to pass. They are in the top 3% of dentists.

You didn’t mention how old your daughter is. If she is young, her teeth probably are not very stained. However, if she’s an adult, she will have developed some surface stains on her teeth which is a natural result of living. If that is the case, I would suggest you get her teeth whitened before you have the veneers done on her teeth.

Porcelain veneers can be made to any color, but once they are made the color is permanent. If she decides to whiten her teeth a few years later, her natural teeth will whiten but not her veneers. It is more financially responsible to whiten ahead of time. If you don’t the veneers will have to be replaced.

This blog is brought to by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.

Botched Implant Case

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A little over a year ago, I had four dental implants placed after a car accident left me with a lot of lost teeth. Since then, the crowns have broken or fallen off and the implants themselves are there but I don’t know how healthy or secure they are. I tried calling the office for quite a few weeks and they kept giving me the run around. Now I have discovered this dentist has left the country and no one can reach him. At first, I was worried about him, like maybe something happened to him on vacation, but it turns out he literally skipped the country. He’s emptied the practice account and they are closing the doors. What do I do now?

Andrew

Dear Andrew,

woman covering her mouth with her hand.

 

I am sorry this happened to you. First, the accident and then an unethical dentist. In all honesty, the only thing you can do now, is to have someone who is skilled with dental implants to look at your case and see how stable the implants are and what went wrong with the dental crowns. Hopefully, the implants themselves are fine and the dentist who did your case just did not bond them on properly.  Then, you will only have to replace the crowns. If it does turn out that your implants are poorly placed and at risk, you will have to replace them. Unfortunately, that will also mean getting one additional procedure, known as bone grafting, so that you will again have enough bone structure to retain your new dental implants.

There is an upside to these tragic circumstances. First, you can make any changes you want. If there was something you didn’t like about the earlier results, now is your chance to completely remake your smile. Make it gorgeous. Another opportunity is for you to whiten your teeth. If you decide to do that, do it before your new crowns are made. Whatever color they are fashioned with is permanent.

A second upside is that I am willing to bet that most dentists who hear the series of events that happened to you will be more willing to work with you on paying this out instead of having to pay up front, which is the typical requirement.

Again, I am sorry this happened to you. Hopefully, this next dentist will be just what you need!

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.

 

Can I Get a Better Smile without Bonding?

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I have slightly discolored teeth, due to aging. A few years back, I also fell and chipped my front tooth. My dentist did composite bonding on that and I’ve never been happy with it. It doesn’t match the rest of my teeth and never has. Plus, there is a gap that wasn’t there before. I went to him about the discoloration for all my teeth to see what he’d recommend and he wants to do composite bonding on the top eight teeth. I am a little leary of this given how the gap turned out. Is there another way to handle this?

Kevin

Dear Kevin,

before and after dental bonding

You bet there are other ways to handle this. My first suggestion would be to simply have professional teeth whitening done. This will take care of the discoloration you are talking about.

The next step would be to replace the badly done dental bonding. The problem you faced with the bonding was not the procedure as much as it is the dentist who did the procedure. He could have matched your teeth perfectly and not had any gaps. The fact that he was not able to accomplish that tells me he is not a skilled cosmetic dentist.

If the only things you want to change about your smile are the color and this bonding, then I would simply find a better cosmetic dentist. Look for an AACD accredited dentist to do your work. These are the best cosmetic dentists in the country.

If, however, there are other things about your smile you are hoping to change, then I would look into getting porcelain veneers. These can give you a complete smile makeover. They’re able to change anything about your smile, including the color, shape, size, and character.

Like the dental bonding, it will require an expert cosmetic dentist, but when well cared for they will last for many years. Whatever you do, don’t go back to the same dentist who could not get your chip repaired properly.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.

Why You Have to Carefully Pick Your Cosmetic Dentist

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I had a chipped tooth which was repaired with dental bonding. That bonding fell off so I went to another dentist. This dentist said that bonding was not possible because 1/5 of the tooth was chipped and recommended getting a dental crown. That seemed too invasive to me so I asked for a porcelain veneer instead. She said she’d have to do two of them in order to get them to match. I agreed. Before it was bonded on I got to peek at them. They looked fine. They were whiter than my other teeth but we did that on purpose because I was going to whiten after getting the porcelain veneers. I did not see them after they were bonded on but they told me it looked fantastic. I left happy. When I got home, I noticed that one of the “teeth” is longer than the other. Not only that, the longer tooth has a bit of a ledge at the top so it appears they bonded it on too low. I called them, but they said that the tooth must have shifted and there is nothing they can do. How would my tooth shift away from a bonded veneer? Can this be fixed? If so, how do I go about getting it fixed?

Pamela

Dear Pamela,

a porcelain veneer being placed on a tooth

We hear these types of cosmetic dentistry horror stories way too often and it generally distresses me for two reasons. First, it is a burden on the patients. Second, because it was completely preventable. There is so much wrong here with what your dentist did.

We’ll start with her saying that dental bonding was out of the question. Really? Why? Obviously, you had dental bonding done there to begin with so it was not impossible. My guess is your dentist said that because she did not know how to do the dental bonding, so instead she steered you toward the procedure she did know, which is a porcelain crown.

You felt that was removing too much healthy tooth structure (rightly, I might add) and asked to have porcelain veneers instead. Based on what happened next, I would say she wasn’t very comfortable with that procedure either but was too embarrassed to say so. Or, maybe she thinks she’s good at them.

Getting Beautiful Porcelain Veneers

I suspect they knew something was wrong when they bonded your veneers because they didn’t let you look at them. That doesn’t give me much confidence in their professional integrity. So, where do you go from here?

The good news is they messed up big time. That will help you get a refund. If the only thing wrong with your porcelain veneers was they looked bad, it would be up to the dentist whether or not you received a refund.

In your case, they bonded them improperly leaving what you described as a ledge. In dental circles, we call this open margins. This is a functional issue because food and other bacteria will get trapped there putting your teeth at risk of decay and your gums at risk of developing gum disease. She owes you a refund so you can get this fixed.

Once you have secured your refund, I am going to suggest you find a dentist who has been accredited with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. AACD accredited dentists are the top cosmetic dentists in the country. You will have a beautiful smile when they do the work.

Oh, one other thing. The teeth whitening should have been done before you had the porcelain veneers placed. That allows the dentist to get an exact match. That was another error on your dentist’s part.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.

Fixing the Appearance of Protruding Teeth

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I have teeth that are slightly protruded and stained. What are my options for getting an attractive smile that doesn’t include braces? Seriously…NO Braces!

Alicea

Dear Alicea,

You have a couple of good options to get a beautiful smile. The first option is to get orthodontics. Now, I can hear you saying, “No braces!” I promise I am not talking about traditional braces. There have been some wonderful advances in dentistry. One of those is an invisible braces option, such as Invisalign. Instead of metal wires and brackets, these use clear aligners that straighten your teeth. For the discoloration, some simple teeth whitening will do the trick.

a porcelain veneer being placed on a tooth

A second option is to have a complete smile makeover done using porcelain veneers. This is the go-to for celebrities that want that Hollywood smile. It can change the shape, size, and color of your teeth simultaneously.

The important thing with porcelain veneers, though, is to make certain you go to an expert cosmetic dentist. Doing smile makeovers is not taught in dental school. Nor is cosmetic dentistry a recognized specialty. If a dentist wants to develop skills in cosmetic procedures, it is up to them how much and how skilled they become. There is no baseline.

Your safest option is to find an AACD accredited dentist. Dentists who seek accreditation through the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry have to prove not just their technical knowledge and understanding about cosmetic work, but also have to demonstrate they have artistry by submitting a large number of visual evidence of procedures they’ve done.

With the right dentist, porcelain veneers will give you a smile that lights up a room.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia cosmetic dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.

Dentist Won’t Do Bonding

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I have black triangles that developed after some orthodontics.  I read online that this can be fixed with dental bonding but my dentist is insisting this is a bad idea. I don’t want to leave these holes so what can I say to convince him? I’ve tried showing him an article about it and he really still doesn’t think it is a good idea.

Brenda

Dear Brenda,

example of black triangles

While you are correct that dental bonding will be a good solution for this, I would not push him into this. When a dentist tries to steer a patient away from a procedure, it is usually because they are not qualified to do it but do not want their patient to lose confidence in them.

This is an advanced, tricky procedure to do. In your place, I am going to suggest you see a dentist with the training necessary to do it. The dentists with proven skills and training are AACD accredited. There are other excellent cosmetic dentists as well, but these have already been tested so you know what you are getting into. If I were in your position. That would be the dentist I’d use.

If you are interested in whitening your teeth. Make certain you do it before you have any bonding done. The color can’t be changed on the bonding after it is done, so you want any color matching to be done with the color you are going to keep.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.

 

Smile Makeover Gone Wrong

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I went to a dentist because I was finally in a position to fix my teeth. My four front teeth are overcrowded and misaligned. My dentist told me using smile makeover techniques with cosmetic dentistry I could fix my teeth without braces. In total, he did dental bonding, two porcelain veneers, and some tooth shaping. He also said he shaped some lower teeth, which we never actually discussed. I wish he hadn’t done that because it added to the price. I paid a total cost of $9.3K. When it was “finsihed”, there really wasn’t much of a difference. My teeth were still misaligned and I didn’t feel like it was prettier in any way. I asked how it was possible to get the teeth to look like he said they would. He told me I’d need to do four root canals and dental crowns, of course, there is a significant additional cost. I wasn’t too keen on that so I went to see another dentist to see what they thought. Their solution was to just whiten my teeth and then do four porcelain veneers. There cost for that was only $7K. I like that idea. Is there any way for me to recoup my original $9.3K?

Camille

Dear Camille

a porcelain veneer being placed on a tooth

 

I am sorry for what you have been through. We are going to file this in one of the many cosmetic dentistry horror stories people write to us seeking advice. One of the problems you are facing is that there isn’t a recognized specialty in cosmetic dentistry. On top of that, dentists are not taught much in dental school about doing smile makeovers.

The dentist who did your smile makeover obviously hasn’t invested much in his cosmetic dentistry training. Nor has he given you the smile he told you that he would provide. I think you have a good case for a refund. Before we get into that, I want to make sure the next dentist you see to repair this is qualified.

My suggestion is that you look on the mynewsmile.com website. They prescreen cosmetic dentists who wish to be listed. They cannot purchase their way on. Instead, they have to demonstrate their technical skills, training, and artistry.  Anyone they list will give you a stunning smile.

The second dentist was on the right track. You do not need root canals or dental crowns. Please don’t let anyone do that to your teeth. Porcelain veneers are sufficient and will give you a beautiful result with an artistic dentist. The teeth whitening makes sense too if your smile is wider than the number of veneers you are getting. It also helps your bottom arch to blend.

Tips for Getting a Dental Refund

With some dentists, who care about patient satisfaction, you can simply ask for a refund when the work done wasn’t what was promised. However, some dentists are more stubborn than others. While I always recommend simply asking first in order to give them an opportunity to do the right thing, you do need some tips in case they don’t.

First, let them know you are doing them a favor. Often, a dentist will not know that written requests for a refund have to get reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank. It helps to educate them and give them an out by saying something like the following.

“I don’t want to make things difficult for you. This is why I am making an oral request, instead of a written one which would have to be reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank.”

If he still doesn’t comply, here are my recommendations:

  • Make a written request, explaining your reasons so it is on record.
  • Write a negative online review, which puts them in a position of needing to respond in order to save their reputation.
  • Complain to the dental board. With a legitimate complaint, the dental board can make life quite difficult for dentists. He’ll want to avoid this, so let him know it is your next step. That may spur him on.
  • Go to a lawyer. Often just the letter from the lawyer will be enough. With a legitimate complaint, the dentist’s malpractice insurance will encourage him to settle.

Best of luck. Make sure you get an expert cosmetic dentist to fix this.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.

Dental Bonding Turning Yellow in a Week

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I don’t know what is happening. I had dental bonding done on six of my front teeth. It’s been only a week and they’re turning yellow. I really loved them when I first got them and expected them to last a few years. What do I do? Can I whiten them?

Pauline

Dear Pauline,

before and after dental bonding

I am sorry this has happened to you. There are a couple of possibilities here. One is that your dentist used subpar materials. The second is that you did something to damage the polish on them. Either way, the fault will likely lie with your dentist because it is his responsibility to instruct you on your post-operative care.

Is it possible you brushed your dental bonding with something abrasive such as an over the counter whitening toothpaste or some baking soda? This will scratch the polish on the bonding allowing them to pick up stains much more quickly than they would otherwise. Many people aren’t aware that whitening toothpastes that you purchase at the store “whiten” your teeth by using abrasives. This creates a wicked cycle of making your teeth look whiter by scraping off stains, but it also creates micro-scratches on the surface of your teeth that causes them to pick up stains more quickly.

The only type of whitening toothpaste I would ever recommend is Supersmile Toothpaste, which uses a natural enzyme to whiten your teeth without any damage.

Unfortunately, teeth whitening won’t get them any brighter or whiter. It will only work on natural tooth structure. Because it has been such a short time since they provided your dental bonding for you, I am going to suggest you call and ask them to repolish them for you.

Caring For Your Dental Bonding

  • The best toothpaste for any type of cosmetic work is Supersmile Toothpaste. It’s specifically designed to remove stains without doing anything that will damage the work.
  • Like with anything related to your teeth, brushing and flossing is an important part of keeping the bonding healthy and shiny.
  • Make certain your dental hygienist knows how to care for your dental bonding. For instance, during your cleanings it is important she doesn’t use anything like a power prophy jet or acidulated fluoride, which will damage the polish on them.
  • If you use a mouthwash, make sure it is alcohol-free. Alcohol can loosen the bonding.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.